


An Outside Perspective

by Mimiwritesfic



Series: Zelda Time, Baby [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/F, Oneshot, Probably should have read Zelda’s turn before reading this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23739832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimiwritesfic/pseuds/Mimiwritesfic
Summary: Even being dead and tethered to a semi-sentient magical machine gets boring when you can’t go anywhere. What else are Mipha and the other Champions to do but keep an eye on Zelda and chat with each other before the final reckoning?
Relationships: Mipha/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Zelda Time, Baby [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670257
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	An Outside Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> Today on “I love writing tiny details ENTIRELY too much”

Ruta’s gentle companionship after Zelda’s victory over the Blight was a balm on Mipha’s soul, providing quiet reassurance and a sympathetic ear. She had rarely wanted for a good rant partner after becoming the Zora Champion, and even a hundred years later, Ruta was still there as support. 

But even Ruta’s presence couldn’t compare to suddenly being able to  _ see.  _ It was limited sight, true, mostly centered on Zelda—not that Mipha was upset about keeping an eye on her, of course—but it was still sight beyond the immediate vicinity of Vah Ruta, and for that, she was grateful. 

So Mipha watched eagerly as Zelda left the Domain and continued her quest, waiting with the ghostly equivalent of bated breath to finally see how Hyrule had fared in the century after her own defeat. Knowing Zelda’s propensity for rampant curiosity, the journey promised to be interesting. 

—

Mipha could not see within the blighted Divine Beasts without Zelda actively using her power, so she very nearly paced a hole right through Ruta when her dear princess entered Naboris once more, not even half a day after conquering Ruta. She prayed constantly—to the Goddess or to whatever power that listened, it didn’t matter—that Zelda would be alright, that her healing ability would be enough. 

Then a shriek of pain cut through her daze and Mipha appeared at Zelda’s side in an instant, registering extensive electric damage and a nasty sword slice through a major artery in seconds. She healed it, taking only a moment after that to get a good look at her surroundings. 

_ Oh, Urbosa, _ she thought, nearly retching when she saw the dusty interior of poor Naboris and the twisted Blight that waited within.  _ I’m so sorry… that  _ thing _ must have given you a terrible end.  _

Mipha refused to think about her own Blight’s cruel final strike right through her chest. 

She rematerialized within Ruta and focused on regaining her available healing energy as fast as possible, but it ended up being unneeded. Zelda left Naboris on her own and reappeared on Mipha’s radar, injured again—and clearly unsuccessful. 

_ Oh, Zelda, Urbosa… I’m so sorry.  _

But Zelda was resilient, and stubborn, and did not let her own injuries and failure stop her. When she traveled next, it was towards Rito Village—and the rampaging Vah Medoh. 

Mipha’s next healing call was at a Sheikah tower surrounded by ornery monsters. Poor Zelda got electrocuted  _ again. _ It seemed the element held a personal grudge against her. That wasn’t even the strangest habit of the princess that Mipha observed, however—she stopped in odd places every now and then, pulling out her Slate and staring off at nothing for several minutes. Was she meditating? Daydreaming?

It wasn’t until Zelda reached a cliff in the Tabantha region and entered her second such odd spell that Mipha connected the dots. Zelda spoke then, just one word, but enough to clue her in:

“Wow…”

_ She seems embarrassed, _ thought Mipha sympathetically. The expression on dear Zelda’s face was the look of someone who had suddenly been reminded of an unfortunate incident in their past—but Zelda had amnesia, didn’t she?

“Oh!” said Mipha aloud, startling herself. Ruta creaked underneath her curiously and she reached down to reassure her Beast, explaining, “Zelda’s  _ remembering.  _ Those spots must be places she went back then…”

_ I wonder what that cliff brought back.  _

—

Zelda arrived at Rito Village not long after. Mipha finally got a closer look at poor Medoh then, wincing to see the once-proud Beast of an old friend tainted with Malice. Revali may have been abrasive and dramatic, but he had loved his people so—to see Medoh attack and scare them like that must have been torturing him, just as witnessing Ruta’s rain had tortured her. 

_ Get that Blight, Zelda, and soon.  _

Zelda had another memory on the outskirts of the village, and judging by the look of incredulous exasperation on her face, it involved Revali. 

Mipha giggled a little, watching her clamber through the snow and into a little hut on the edge of the pit. Her own first meeting with Revali had been… well, not much, really. Not compared to when  _ Link _ met him. It had taken Mipha roughly ten seconds to figure out that the Master Sword and the “chosen hero” business factored heavily into Revali’s attitude, and she had proceeded to try and make friends regardless. He had actually gotten much better attitude-wise, even to Link, before… 

Mipha sighed and refocused, idly watching Zelda speak to a white-feathered Rito warrior within the hut. It didn’t pay to linger on what-might-have-beens. Her own relationship with Zelda (if it could be called that) was proof. 

So lost in thought was Mipha that she almost missed Zelda’s takeoff, not even ten minutes after beginning her conversation with the Rito warrior. They were flying directly to Medoh, she realized in horror. 

_ The wind chill combined with the altitude combined with the climate—she’s not even  _ close _ to being properly dressed for that! A flameblade and a quilted shirt? Is that all? Zelda! _

Had Mipha been able to yell at her once-almost-fiancée right then, she would have. As it was, she could only watch the harrowing battle and wince in sympathy when the Rito warrior ended up grazed by a cannon shot. 

Zelda entered Medoh alone, and Mipha lost sight of her completely. 

Please _ don’t do anything that requires my power… stay safe,  _ please.

Her silent prayer went unanswered. Mipha used her Grace once more on Zelda in the middle of her battle with the thing that killed Revali—a warped, twisted creature brandishing a cannon and an evil blue eye. For a moment, she even heard Revali’s voice, shouting over the explosions:

“-EYE, HIT THE EYE AGAIN-!”

“He’s as boisterous as ever,” remarked Mipha shakily as she returned to Ruta. Her Beast rumbled in agreement as Mipha settled down to try and recharge, both of them waiting anxiously for the result of the battle. 

And not long after that, Vah Medoh glowed blue once more and Revali reached out for her presence, free from the grip of the Calamity at last. 

—

Mipha found herself once more within the sandy walls of Naboris a mere half-day after that, helping Zelda face down the Blight that killed Urbosa. She returned to Ruta after using her power and started pacing again, fearfully watching, waiting-

Then a triumphant roar echoed through the bond between each Divine Beast and Naboris made its way onto the mountains bordering the desert, aiming at Ganon just as Ruta and Medoh did. Mipha watched Zelda run back inside Gerudo Town and speak with the young leader, giddy with relief and pride. 

_ Mipha, Revali, it’s a pleasure to see both of you freed.  _

_ Same to you, Urbosa. I’m glad that…  _ thing _ is gone,  _ said Mipha. A clear image of the Blight from Naboris floated through the bond accidentally as she shuddered and tried to banish the memory. 

Surprise from Urbosa—and by proxy, Revali.  _ You saw? Ah, your healing ability. I thought I saw your spirit. _

_ I could have sworn I was hallucinating,  _ said Revali.  _ Ugly creature, wasn’t it? Ha! It got its just desserts.  _

The conversation petered out around then, and Mipha went back to keeping an eye on Zelda’s progress. She was on the Great Plateau by then, swinging a scimitar that looked awfully similar to the one Urbosa once wielded. 

_ She’s good with that sword, _ said Urbosa proudly.  _ Ah, wait a moment- _

Mipha saw the monster sneak up behind Zelda too late and could only gasp as it raised a club to attack- 

And was blasted backwards by the thunderous power of Urbosa’s spirit, summoned with a wide sweep of the scimitar. 

_ Impressive, I admit,  _ commented Revali.  _ You couldn’t have explained to her how to use it  _ before _ sending her off? _

_ Slipped my mind. Zelda’s a smart young woman, she figured it out. Did  _ you _ explain? _

_ I—my Gale is a masterpiece of innovation,  _ easy _ to mimic—! _

_ So it's a simple party trick?  _

_ You- _

Mipha sighed as the squabble began and patted Ruta, who creaked in agreement below her. She turned her gaze back to Zelda, who was now standing atop the tower near Zora’s Domain and examining her map curiously. 

_ She’ll be off to Death Mountain next,  _ she said.  _ I can’t wait to hear from Daruk again.  _

_ I’d say the same, _ said Revali a little later, as Zelda made her way along the roads,  _ but isn’t she going the wrong way? _

Zelda figured out that precise issue about a day later, and after spending several minutes facedown on the ground and groaning, made her way towards the  _ correct _ stable. Her ensuing journey at breakneck pace across the flaming rocks of Death Mountain had Mipha anxiously pacing again and praying that the fireproof elixir Zelda drank would—wait.

“Why did she  _ drink _ it? You’re supposed to spread that on your skin!”

Ruta creaked in a way that suggested laughter as Mipha groaned and buried her head in her hands. That princess would be the  _ second _ death of her one day. 

Regardless of her reckless usage of fireproof potions, Zelda made it to Goron City and up the path to Rudania in record time. Helped by a young Goron who wore Daruk’s old Champion sash, Zelda was soon  _ leaping directly into the crater  _ to finish the job.

_ Did she actually just do that? _ said Revali, who had deigned to stop brooding and pay attention to Zelda.

_ Unfortunately, yes,  _ said Mipha in exasperation, watching her vision of Zelda slowly disappear. 

Mipha wasn’t sure which was more nerve-wracking—to be called to Zelda’s side as she fought a Blight, or to hear nothing at all for the hour or so it took her to go through Rudania. She practically  _ vibrated _ with worry from her place atop Ruta during the entire ordeal, even when Urbosa assured her that Zelda was fighting well against the Blight that killed Daruk. Her small size, it seemed, was helpful against a monster created to fight strong and slow. 

_ I’ve given her what power I can. She has to finish it from here,  _ said Urbosa, after the third time she disappeared from their bond to go to Zelda. They all warily kept an eye on the closed connection, waiting for the princess to return.

And, quite suddenly, she did—reappearing in front of Goron City as Rudania clambered out of the crater and into firing position and Daruk broke through the haze of Malice, reuniting the Champions at last. 

—

Mipha knew the others wanted to ask. She did too. A sort of morbid curiosity had made itself known after Zelda began searching for memories in earnest—started by Revali’s comment about his Blight’s cannon and fed by Urbosa’s assumption that Daruk’s Blight was designed to favor strength over speed. 

So, while Zelda slept one night and there was little else to do, she reached out to Urbosa. 

_ What is it? _

_ I’m… curious. About your Blight. I have a theory about them,  _ said Mipha. She took Urbosa’s silence as a go-ahead and continued,  _ Mine had a spear that regenerated whenever it threw it. I didn’t survive long enough to realize that it would do that, but… it fought like me.  _

_ You think so too, then?  _ Urbosa said.  _ You saw mine—sword and shield, plus electricity running through every inch of it.  _

_ A dark parody.  _

_ And a cruel one. It seems we caught the attention of the Calamity in a rather… personal manner.  _

Daruk chimed in just then, apparently having been listening in for some time.  _ Mine had a weapon like my Boulder Breaker, ‘cept it could light on fire. It had a shield, too—impenetrable. Zelda was smart to use those Slate bombs of hers… I didn’t have ‘em, though.  _

Daruk’s words sent a chill through Mipha, far more unsettling than the chill of being a ghost. It was horrifying to think that Ganon had known enough about them, had taken the time, to create Blights specifically tailored to their fighting styles.

In a distant stable, Zelda stirred and rose with the sun, blinking confusedly for a moment as if picking up on the unrest from the ghosts watching her. 

_ I don’t believe it was a mere parody,  _ said Revali, surprising them all with his active presence. Mipha tore her gaze away from Zelda’s progress to listen.  _ Mipha, correct me if I’m wrong, but you couldn’t summon your trident back to yourself after throwing it—unless I somehow missed that. _

_ No, of course I couldn’t.  _

_ My Blight had a cannon. Mechanical missiles that chased me through the air as if they were alive—no bow could fire arrows like that, not even mine.  _ Revali’s words dripped with bitterness, sour and cloying through the bond.  _ It was no parody. It was a show of strength. He was  _ toying _ with us by using our own strategies with more power than any mortal could summon to kill us. We never stood a chance.  _

_ Revali…  _ Mipha found herself unable to respond to that. What could she say? He was most likely right. 

_ Alright, you stop that. We stand a chance right now,  _ said Daruk.  _ It’s true, we died. Those things killed us. But you know who they didn’t kill? _

He drew their attention to Zelda, who by then was gearing up to climb yet another Sheikah Tower—this one on Hyrule Field and surrounded by semi-decayed Guardians. She knocked back a speed elixir in one go, tossed the empty bottle into her bag, and sprinted straight for the tower like a madwoman. 

_ I have faith in the princess,  _ continued Daruk. 

_ And that’s about  _ all _ we can do,  _ said Revali. His voice flinched slightly when Zelda nearly took a direct hit a quarter of the way up the tower—but she was fine, back to climbing a moment later. 

_ Oh, did I get the plan wrong or somethin’, birdbrain? What are our Beasts gearing up to do right now? We Gorons aren’t usually much for hoping without doing, y’know, but right now our biggest effort will be the attack on Ganon. We  _ have _ a chance.  _

Daruk rarely showed annoyance, a fact which did not seem to go over Revali’s head.  _ I know. I’m simply… frustrated. It’s hard to summon hope in times like this.  _

Silence stretched through the bond again. Zelda couldn’t have felt their gaze, but she did frown in the direction of Medoh briefly as she stopped for a breather halfway up the tower. 

_ I can’t see Gerudo Town very well from where Naboris stands,  _ said Urbosa.  _ But… whenever Zelda is there… I see those who descended from the survivors, all those years ago. I see capable warriors really and willing to give their lives for each and every vai in my city. I see the children who run about and get underfoot no matter where you step, and the mothers who chase them down each time with laughter.  _

_ Your point?  _ said Revali, not unkindly. Distantly, Mipha was aware of Zelda taking cover from multiple Guardian lasers close to the top of the tower—she seemed to be trying to judge a good way to climb without getting targeted. 

_ I see  _ life, _ Revali. Lives that don’t revolve around the Calamity, lives that are each unique and valuable because their struggles are not world-ending. That is what gives me hope when other routes fail—that even now, there are people who want nothing more than good food and good company. If that sort of life can happen now, under the shadow of Ganon, imagine what could thrive should we win.  _

_ When we win,  _ said Daruk. Doubtless, he was thinking of his great-grandson (brother? Second brother? Mipha never had asked questions about Goron lineage). Mipha’s thoughts turned to her own family—to Sidon, who still had the whistle she’d gifted him as a young fry, and to her father, as jovial as she ever remembered him being. Many of her old friends were still there, living out their lives as well as they could. 

There were those who had fallen back then, though, and she grieved them when she could.

_ What do you see in Rito Village, Revali?  _ asked Urbosa. 

_ Don’t you pay attention when Zelda visits? _

_ You know what I meant, birdbrain. Answer.  _

Revali was silent for a moment, his presence near impossible to read.  _ There’s a few warriors who show promise. Teba, the one who helped Zelda get up here to free me, spends more time than most at the Flight Range… teaching his son to shoot and fly. Zelda goes there with him to train. _

_ Other than battle, Revali,  _ prompted Urbosa. 

_ There’s a bard who stops by Rito Stable every now and then. He pops up all over Hyrule—I’m sure you all have seen him when you follow Zelda, blue feathers and a concertina…? _

_ Oh, him! Yes, he has quite the talent,  _ said Mipha. 

_ His family seems sweet. Noisiest hatchlings I’ve ever seen, but they’re always running about to find new things to tell their mother, even with everything that’s going on. Zelda eats dinner with them on occasion when she visits.  _

Mipha knew precisely the family he meant—Zelda always had a smile like the sun on her face during those dinners, even if the tiny army of Rito children had a habit of burying her in excitable hugs. Her amusement drifted through the bond, mingling with the contented emotions of the other Champions. 

_ I’m not admitting you were right,  _ said Revali eventually.  _ But… I can see why observing would help. It’s the little things, in times like these.  _

In the distance, Zelda finally hauled herself onto the flat top of the tower and set the Slate into the waiting pedestal. Soot stained her clothes from near misses, her hair was a rat’s nest of blond strands, and she would have to teleport somewhere else to safely leave the tower—but the smile on her face stretched ear-to-ear as she wiped her brow and watched the map load. 

“The little things, hmm?” Mipha murmured, patting the top of Ruta’s head. Zelda’s smile wouldn’t leave her mind’s eye, even as the princess in question grabbed the updated Slate and teleported away. “I hate to admit it, but I believe Revali’s right, Ruta.”

Ruta made the repeated clacking noise that Mipha had long since come to recognize as laughter. In the distance, at the focal point of each Beast’s targeting laser, the blue light of the Master Sword pulsed brighter for just a moment. 

—

Each Champion’s spot in their bond buzzed with excitement and happiness when Zelda got her bow at long last. Its glow was like seeing the sunrise after a lifetime underground—but Mipha was hardly focused on the hum of myriad emotion swirling through their bond. 

“Ruta, she loves me,” she said for the umpteenth time. “She said it  _ out loud _ and everything!”

Ruta creaked and clacked happily, supportive of her. Mipha still wasn’t sure what the abnormal noises were, and Urbosa’s cryptic words about burials weren’t helping, but she was still—for lack of a better word—glowing, even a day after the fact. 

Zelda’s farewell dimmed that glow, just slightly, as it reminded Mipha precisely  _ why _ the confession was so ill-timed. 

“Ruta, dear?” 

_ Creak? _

“When we strike on Ganon, we do so with  _ extreme _ prejudice.”

_ Creak.  _

_ She’s going in!  _ Revali cried suddenly, cutting through Mipha’s focus. The tension in their bond could have been cut with a knife as Zelda tore through the castle, alternately sneaking past monsters and blowing up Guardians.

_ You get ‘em, tiny princess! Go for it!  _ Daruk cheered as Zelda pulled a particularly risky maneuver to get across a section of road patrolled by Guardian Skywatchers. 

_ She’s fighting well,  _ said Urbosa proudly, watching each adversary fall to Zelda’s arrows. 

_ She better be careful,  _ said Mipha. Aloud, so that the others couldn’t hear, she said, “I love you, okay? You’re not allowed to die.”

Zelda stalled for a half-second just outside the castle sanctum, her eyes glazing over in the familiar expression of regaining a memory. Whatever it was, it was short, and seemed to give her a burst of vigor—enough to step inside and trigger the emergence of Ganon.

Mipha felt it when the Master Sword’s lock collapsed. Link’s scream of pain echoed horribly in her head—and those of the other Champions, if their yelps were anything to go by—as the disgusting lump of Malice that had encased him burst, dropping Zelda and Ganon into a pit below the castle. 

There was a beat of stunned silence as they all saw the horrendous creation that dwarfed Zelda. 

_ Champions, NOW! FIRE! _

Daruk’s voice shocked Mipha into action and Ruta’s gears churned below her, light gathering around the front of her Divine Beast. Mipha said her part in turn, channeling every ounce of anger, love, grief, and hope that had churned within her soul for one hundred years into the force of Ruta’s attack. 

_ Mipha, come back, the monster’s getting up again—Mipha! _

Dizzily, awareness returned to Mipha and she reached out to the others, instantly switching her vision to Zelda. Revali was right, Ganon  _ had _ survived the attack against all odds. 

_ Can any of you summon such a blast again? Naboris is out of available power! _

_ Rudania’s down—hold on!  _ Daruk left mid-sentence, summoned to block an attack on Zelda. Urbosa flitted in and out for the same reason. 

_ Medoh… isn’t responding. Mipha? _

Mipha found that Ruta would not respond to her directives either.  _ Zelda’s on her own,  _ she said, swallowing. 

_ Not yet she’s not,  _ snarled Daruk.  _ This is it! Last chance! Give her all the power you can! _

So they did, fighting alongside Zelda to beat back the Calamity. And when the battle was over, when Link was saved and Ganon gone… everything faded away, and the bond finally dissolved. 


End file.
